December 18, 2015
Scripture Reading: Luke 1:46-49
46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
Questions for Reflection:
On hearing Elizabeth’s Holy Spirit-filled speech, Mary breaks out into song. Mary’s song is a great reminder of what worship should be. The focus of Mary’s song begins with praising God. In what ways does Mary praise God in this passage? What does she celebrate about God?
The first thing she does is glorify the Lord. In 1648, the English Parliament wanted to reform the church of England. They gathered over 120 theologians and Bible scholars to study and develop a confession that would help explain the Christian faith. As part of that confession, they developed a series of questions to help teach others. The first question of the Westminster Confession said, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” To glorify God means that we give glory to God because He alone is worthy of that glory.
One of the themes of Luke’s writing is how God changed everything “from now on.” At least six times throughout his writing, Luke says “from now on” things will be different. You can read the first of these statements in the passage above. What does Luke say will occur “from now on”? Why does Mary believe that she will be called blessed? Again, note that Mary believes she is blessed not because of who she is or what she has done but because “the Mighty One has done great things for me.”
Take time today to reflect on what God has done for you Spend time worshipping Him for how He has sovereignly acted in your life. Glorify God today because He alone is worthy of glory. Rejoice in your Savior today.